sour

[ souuhr, sou-er ]

/ saʊər, ˈsaʊ ər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR sour ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, sour·er, sour·est.

having an acid taste, resembling that of vinegar, lemon juice, etc.; tart.

rendered acid or affected by fermentation; fermented.

producing the one of the four basic taste sensations that is not bitter, salt, or sweet.

characteristic of something fermented: a sour smell.

distasteful or disagreeable; unpleasant.

below standard; poor.

harsh in spirit or temper; austere; morose; peevish.

Agriculture. (of soil) having excessive acidity.

(of gasoline or the like) contaminated by sulfur compounds.

Music. off-pitch; badly produced: a sour note.

noun

something that is sour.

any of various cocktails consisting typically of whiskey or gin with lemon or lime juice and sugar and sometimes soda water, often garnished with a slice of orange, a maraschino cherry, or both.

an acid or an acidic substance used in laundering and bleaching to neutralize alkalis and to decompose residual soap or bleach.

verb (used without object)

to become sour, rancid, mildewed, etc.; spoil: Milk sours quickly in warm weather. The laundry soured before it was ironed.

to become unpleasant or strained; worsen; deteriorate: Relations between the two countries have soured.

to become bitter, disillusioned, or disinterested: I guess I soured when I learned he was married. My loyalty soured after his last book.

Agriculture. (of soil) to develop excessive acidity.

verb (used with object)

to make sour; cause sourness in: What do they use to sour the mash?

to cause spoilage in; rot: Defective cartons soured the apples.

to make bitter, disillusioned, or disagreeable: One misadventure needn't have soured him. That swindle soured a great many potential investors.

Origin of sour

before 1000; (adj. and noun) Middle English sure, soure, Old English sūr (orig. adj.); cognate with German sauer, Dutch zuur, Old Norse sūrr; (v.) Middle English souren, derivative of the adj.

SYNONYMS FOR sour

5 bitter.

7 severe, testy, touchy, acrimonious, cross, petulant, crabbed.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR sour ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR sour

1 sweet.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR sour ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM sour

sour·ish, adjective sour·ly, adverb sour·ness, noun o·ver·sour, adjective

o·ver·sour·ly, adverb o·ver·sour·ness, noun un·sour, adjective un·sour·ly, adverb un·sour·ness, noun

Words nearby sour

souple, soupmeat, soupspoon, soupy, soupçon, sour, sour cherry, sour cream, sour dock, sour gourd, sour grapes

Example sentences from the Web for sourness

This will correct any tendency to sourness, and make the yeast more brisk.

Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches |Eliza Leslie
You found that, in two experiences, hardness and greenness in apples went together with sourness.

Man's Place in Nature and Other Essays |Thomas Henry Huxley
You found that, in two experiences, hardness and greenness in apples go together with sourness.

The Method By Which The Causes Of The Present And Past Conditions Of Organic Nature Are To Be Discovered.--The Origination Of Living Beings |Thomas H. Huxley
Nevertheless, she displayed no prudery, no sourness, in the practice of her peculiar virtue.

Sentimental Education Vol 1 |Gustave Flaubert

It was to him the one smart of sourness in her charm as a woman.

Diana of the Crossways, Complete |George Meredith

British Dictionary definitions for sourness (1 of 2)

Sour

/ (sʊə) /

noun

a variant spelling of Sur

British Dictionary definitions for sourness (2 of 2)

sour

/ (ˈsaʊə) /

adjective

having or denoting a sharp biting taste like that of lemon juice or vinegar Compare bitter (def. 1)

made acid or bad, as in the case of milk or alcohol, by the action of microorganisms

having a rancid or unwholesome smell

(of a person's temperament) sullen, morose, or disagreeable

(esp of the weather or climate) harsh and unpleasant

disagreeable; distasteful a sour experience

(of land, etc) lacking in fertility, esp due to excessive acidity

(of oil, gas, or petrol) containing a relatively large amount of sulphur compounds

go sour or turn sour to become unfavourable or inharmonious his marriage went sour

noun

something sour

mainly US any of several iced drinks usually made with spirits, lemon juice, and ice a whiskey sour

an acid used in laundering and bleaching clothes or in curing animal skins

verb

to make or become sour

Derived forms of sour

sourish, adjective sourly, adverb sourness, noun

Word Origin for sour

Old English sūr; related to Old Norse sūrr, Lithuanian suras salty, Old Slavonic syrŭ wet, raw, surovu green, raw, Sanskrit surā brandy

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

sour

adjective, sour·er, sour·est.

noun

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

Origin of sour

SYNONYMS FOR sour

ANTONYMS FOR sour

OTHER WORDS FROM sour

Words nearby sour

Example sentences from the Web for sourness

British Dictionary definitions for sourness (1 of 2)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for sourness (2 of 2)

adjective

noun

verb

Derived forms of sour

Word Origin for sour

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

sour

adjective, sour·er, sour·est.

noun

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

Origin of sour

SYNONYMS FOR sour

ANTONYMS FOR sour

OTHER WORDS FROM sour

Words nearby sour

Words related to sourness

Example sentences from the Web for sourness

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for sourness (1 of 2)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for sourness (2 of 2)

adjective

noun

verb

Derived forms of sour

Word Origin for sour

British Dictionary definitions for sourness (1 of 2)